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Camera head to head: Lumia 950 XL vs (updated) Galaxy Note 9

Back in the Autumn, I pitched the Lumia 950 XL against the (then new) Samsung Galaxy Note 9, concluding that the Android newcomer didn't quite match up in terms of image detail and purity. But since then we've had three monthly updates for the Note 9* and, while waiting for the likes of the Nokia 9 and Galaxy S10, I thought a rematch was in order. Can the Lumia keep its crown?

* No, this doesn't include the big Android 9 update, which is imminent. Then again, this isn't supposed to bring camera improvements, so this feature is still valid.

The Galaxy Note 9's shots are at 9MP shooting at 16:9. I'm using the 950 XL in its reduced/oversampled 8MP mode (it could rise to 16MP if absolutely needed), because I intend to make life very hard for these phone cameras in terms of lighting, and they'll need all the oversampling/combination processing they can muster to achieve detail and keep noise down. Plus I do use zoom on both phones several times below.

The Note 9 includes a 'scene optimiser' software enhancement mode - I turned this off, to keep things neutral. It would be fun to play with, but no more than this. Here I'm looking at the performance of the optics and JPG rendering software, not some fancy software tuning!

Zooming is under manual control on the Lumia 950 XL, in that a 2x zoom is always half 'PureView' (smart cropping) and half digital interpolation, while on the Galaxy Note 9 it depends on the light levels. Outdoors, in reasonable light, the Note 9 uses its telephoto lens, demonstrated below. Indoors, or in poor light, it keeps the f/1.5 lens and uses digital zoom and interpolation - this isn't something I tested and isn't generally advisable.

All photos were taken handheld on full 'auto' on both phones, unless stated otherwise, and with the phones handheld. Mimicking real life users.

Let's pit the results against each other, using our Famed Interactive Comparator (FIC). All 1:1 crops are at 900x500 for comparison, but see the links for full versions.

Note that the interactive comparator below uses javascript and does need to load each pair of images. Please be patient while this page loads, if you see a pair of images above each other than you've either not waited long enough or your browser isn't capable enough! You ideally need a powerful, large-screened tablet or a proper laptop or desktop. This comparator may not work in some browsers. Sorry about that. On Windows 10 Mobile, use the 'AAWP Universal' UWP app, which handles the comparator very competently (see the tips in the app's help screens).

Test 1: Sunny detail

What better way to look at raw detail than to snap a tree (a willow?) in the sun? Here is the scene as presented by the Lumia 950:

In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and Galaxy Note 9, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Superb detail from both phone cameras, of course, but that from the Lumia is extraordinary - you can see the very finest twigs rendered, while if you look closely you can see that the Note 9's slight edge enhancement manages to suppress/lose the thinnest twigs.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 9: 9 pts

Test 2: Church clock, weak sun

Building up to a zoom test, here's my local church clock tower in very weak winter sun. Here, looking upwards, is the scene as presented by the Lumia 950:

In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and Galaxy Note 9, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Level pegging this time - although the Lumia captures slightly more detail and with zero edge enhancement, there's also slightly too much of a warm yellow cast. The Note 9's shot is perhaps too pale, but it's more accurate overall.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 9: 9 pts

Test 3: Church clock, zoomed to 2x

The same scene, but zoomed to 2x. Not easy to do on the Lumia, which has no scale in the UI!

In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and Galaxy Note 9, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

The 2x telephoto lens draws the Note 9 slightly ahead this time, with cleaner, less 'fuzzy' detail (the 950's camera never did sit well with digital zoom once past the 1.5x 'PureView' range). Look at the figures on the clock face - the Lumia's not that far behind, but the Note 9's detail is genuine and not interpolated.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 8 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 9: 9 pts

Test 4: Sunny macro

Few flowers are out in winter - except plastic ones! Here in a graveyard. Here is the scene as presented by the Lumia 950:

In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and Galaxy Note 9, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

I can't fault either of these shots - which is about what you'd expect from 2019 flagships. Even if the Lumia is from 2015 but with a camera system ahead of its time!

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 9: 10 pts

Test 5: Gateway

In decent light, but not direct sun, here's an attractive gate, with greenery beside it. Here is the scene as presented by the Lumia 950:

In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and Galaxy Note 9, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

A win for the Note 9 here in that the processing brings out a brighter image with more colour. Unrealistic? Maybe, but the Lumia's shot seems gloomy by comparison. Yes, there's a touch of edge enhancement in the Samsung image, but it's under control and not too off-putting.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 8 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 9: 9 pts

Test 6: Gateway, zoomed 2x

The second of three zoom tests in this feature. I think that's fair enough, since the Lumia 950 does offer some lossless zoom from its sensor, after all.

In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and Galaxy Note 9, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

A characteristic 'fuzz' from the Lumia's dodgy digital zoom (beyond 1.5x) versus the genuine telephoto on the Note 9, and there's no contest here. An easy win for the multi-camera device and really a rather good shot.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 5 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 9: 9 pts

Test 7: Indoors

Inside the church, there's plenty of detail, though with no direct decent lighting. Here is the scene as presented by the Lumia 950, appearing lighter than in real life (as you should be used to by now!):

In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and Galaxy Note 9, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Despite slightly more 'detail' from the Note 9, I'm going to give this one to the Lumia 950, as it has more atmosphere and character. Yes, a slight yellowish tint, but the Samsung's version is arguably too bright and stark. Plus the edge enhancement that brings detail also brings some ugliness in, for example, the marbled patterns on the pulpit.

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 9 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 9: 8 pts

Test 8: Subtle detail, close range

A nicely detailed subject shot at just a couple of metres. Here is the scene as presented by the Lumia 950:

In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and Galaxy Note 9, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Very different approaches to detail here in the image processing. The Lumia, as usual, has ultra-natural rendering, while the Note 9 Camera software works overtime in lower light, as here, trying to enhance everything. Which one do you prefer? I'm going to give the win to the Lumia but I'd understand some debate here from fans of 'sharper is better' - see what you think in the comparator!

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 9: 9 pts

Test 9: Very low light

This little chapel was unlit and very gloomy, with hardly anything clear to the naked eye. Here is the scene as presented by the Lumia 950, looking a lot lig=hter than it was!:

In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and Galaxy Note 9, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

The extra purity and lack of noise here is purely down to the PureView over-sampling, with the aperture (f/1.9 and f/1.5) and exposures (1/5s, 1/10s) used being roughly similar, in combination. Having said that, you only really see this noise difference when looking at the pixel level - for all intents and purposes, both photos look impressive when looked at as a whole. Still, the Lumia has to win this round!

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 10 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 9: 8 pts

Test 10: Extreme zoom

I can't resist one last zoom test, with both phone cameras using lots of digital zoom, though with the Note 9 having that initial 2x telephoto as a head start, versus the 950 XL's 1.5x PureView zoom. Here is the scene as presented by the Note 9:

In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and Galaxy Note 9, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail here, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:

Although the Note 9's digital zoom result isn't perfect, it's still way beyond what the Lumia 950 XL can resolve in terms of genuine detail. Samsung has always been good at interpolative (computational) zoom and the Lumia has always been terrible (Juha did explain why a while back, I think, but I've never got my head around it!)

Microsoft Lumia 950 XL: 5 pts; Samsung Galaxy Note 9: 8 pts

Verdict

Adding up the points gives us:

Galaxy Note 9: 88/100

Lumia 950 XL: 84/100

Reversing the original point verdict from the Autumn. But the exact results do depend on how much zooming was done. So, out of interest, if we total the points from the non-zoomed shots, we get:

Lumia 950 XL: 66/70

Galaxy Note 9: 62/70

In short, then, the PureView system still beats out just about anything in the world for as-is shots, but once you start factoring in wide angle (LG G6/G7 etc.) and - especially - zoom (so iPhone X, Galaxy S9/ and Note 9, Huawei Mate 20 Pro and others) then the Lumia gets pushed a notch down. Which is, I think, a fair conclusion.

I wonder, if Nokia and then Microsoft had kept on making Lumias, would they too have embraced multiple cameras? Or would they have tried for an up to date variant on the classic Lumia 1020, with giant sensor and lens? We'll never know!

PS. The next comparison in my sights will be with the 2019 Galaxy S10 range - or perhaps the Nokia 9, if that ever actually gets released!